Continued Exploration - Music and the Fictive Dream - Tangled

Combined with a heartfelt plot, beautiful animation, and amazing music, Tangled has become my favorite Disney movie of all time.

In the Kingdom of Corona, the King and Queen have a beautiful and magically long haired baby named Rapunzel. When Rapunzel sings a song, her hair glows and is able to heal anything around it. Mother Gothel discovers this and, when trying to steal the power to keep herself young, finds out that when Rapunzel's magic hair is cut it loses its power. This results in Mother Gothel kidnapping Rapunzel and raising her as her own in a tower, refusing to share her power with the outside world. Rapunzel grows up locked in a tower, afraid of the dangers of the outside world, and believing Mother Gothel is her true mom. Although she is scared of the dangers beyond her tower, Rapunzel dreams of leaving and seeing the "floating lights", which are lanterns sent by the kingdom in search of the Lost Princess. After an escaped prisoner named Flynn Rider stumbles upon her castle and makes a deal with Rapunzel to help her see the floating lights in exchange for his satchel, they embark on a journey that leads to Rapunzel discovering who she truly is. 

"When Will My Life Begin" is the first song of the movie. It was composed by Alan Menken with lyrics by Glenn Slater and sung by Mandy Moore. This song serves to keep the plot moving forward as Rapunzel is singing about how she is bored of the same routine in her tower and wonders what possibilities the outside world holds. Rather than just simply wondering when her life will begin, Rapunzel is wondering about when she will make her own decisions and have new adventures in her life. This song basically shows how she accomplishes many things throughout the day, but she wants to adventure outside of the tower. 

                " 7 AM, the usual morning line-up:

                 Start on the chores and sweep 'til the floor's all clean

                 Polish and wax, do laundry, and mop and shine up

                 Sweep again

                 And by then

                 It's like 7:15"

Before creating this song, Menken had to keep in mind that the movie had planned to have a guitar-themed score. He wrote six different versions of the song and ironically the first version he chose is not in the movie, but is featured in the musical on broadway. The genre is rock and the tempo is moderately fast, with an ending that slows down. It features acoustic guitar, the Hammond organ, and aggressive percussion. The writers had the goal of making Rapunzel's songs have a youthful exuberance feel. This is especially noticeable when listening to the contrast of Mother Gothel's songs. 

I personally really like the end of the song where the pace changes. This is a complete change of tone because she is singing about her dream in a more serious and sadder tone rather than her bubbly and optimistic tone that she had during the rest of the song. It fits the lyrics perfectly because if she sang it with the same color tone and pace as the rest of the song, it would not nearly have the same impact on the audience as it does slowed down. This is also a key moment for the movie plot as a whole because it is when she decides to finally stand up to Mother Gothel and ask to explore beyond the tower.

                 "Tomorrow night the lights will appear

                 Just like they do on my birthday each year

                 What is it like out there where they glow?

               Now that I'm older, mother might just let me go"

Aside from this song being significant to setting up the plot for the course of the movie, this song can serve a deeper meaning. Parents and their kids do not always see eye to eye, and this song explores that. Rapunzel being stuck in the same routine Mother Gothel put her in because she does not want to share her with the world is similar to parents not allowing kids to do some things at certain ages. Rapunzel sings about how being older may change Mother Gothel's mind as we all know being older means we can have more responsibility. 

Before researching, I had already loved all parts of the song like the lyrics and the instruments they used. But now, I have an even greater appreciation for the song because I discovered things I did not notice before such as the contrast between the tones of Rapunzel's songs and Mother Gothel's songs. I also really love how creative the lyrics are when naming all the things that Rapunzel does throughout the day, as they all flow very nicely together and make the song catchy. I too get stuck in the same routine everyday (especially during quarantine) and this song makes me think maybe it isn't too bad because this girl has been doing the same routine for 18 years! 

As I stated before, Tangled is a very beautifully crafted movie that uses music to portray the story. I have linked additional songs from the movie that I really enjoy listening to. 

I See the Light - sung by Rapunzel and Flynn

Mother Knows Best - sung by Mother Gothel

I've Got a Dream - sung by Rapunzel, Flynn, and the townspeople 

Sources: 

“Tangled.” IMDb, IMDb.com, https://www.imdb.com/title/tt00398286/plotsummary. 

“When Will My Life Begin.” Disney Wiki, https://disney.fandom.com/wiki/When_Will_My_Life_Begin. 

“When Will My Life Begin?” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 22 Nov. 2021, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/When_Will_My_Life_Begin%3F. 

Music and the Fictive Dream - Wicked!

 Of course with this assignment I had to take the opportunity to write about the hit broadway musical: Wicked. As my favorite musical by far, it was difficult to choose a song to analyze as I believe the music does an amazing job of using musical elements to portray the story. I encourage you to find the album from this show and pick another song at random to listen to.

Wicked is based on the 1995 Gregory Maguire novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, which is a retelling of the 1900 L. Frank Baum novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. It tells the story of two witches in Oz who are unlikely friends. There is Elphaba, also known as the Wicked Witch of the West, who is intelligent, ambitious, and green-skinned. In contrast to her there is Galinda, who is later known as Glinda the Good Witch. Glinda is a beautiful, self-centered, and popular girl. The two girls see each other as competition in the school they go to along with the attention of Fiyero, a love-interest that they share. Elphaba and Glinda later see past their differences and become friends. Glinda even tries to help Elphaba fit in more as she sings "Popular", which is the song I will analyze. Elphaba soon discovers the corrupt government that the Wizard of Oz is truly running, and sets out to stop him. In doing so, she became a public enemy of the city. She fakes her death, runs away with Fiyero, and Glinda remains in the city telling the story of her past friend. Though Wicked received mixed reviews at first, it is now the fifth longest running broadway show and the second-highest grossing musical.

"Popular" is the first solo sung by Glinda. She sings this to Elphaba as an act of friendship after Elphaba helps her get accepted into their school's witch studies. This song displays Glinda's bubbly, materialistic, and spoiled way of life. She sings about how a person's value is determined by how others view you in society. Glinda uses her experience to tell Elphaba how she can change the way she looks and acts to make other's become more attracted to her. Rather than being nice and helping a friend out because it would be the right thing to do, she sees herself as more "fortunate" than others because of her looks and popularity. 

             "Whenever I see someone less fortunate than I

               And let's face it-- who isn't-- less fortunate than I"

Glinda has never experienced any true hardships throughout her years at the school like Elphaba has, so she believes that the attributes that she herself carries (being popular) is what Elphaba needs to have rather than the traits she already carries, such as her intelligence.

             "When I see depressing creatures

               With unprepossessing features

               I remind them on their own behalf to think of

               Celebrated heads of state or

               Especially great communicators.

               Did they have brains or knowledge?

               Don't make me laugh!

               They were popular! Please. 

               It's all about popular!"

Clearly this song does not teach the best lesson. Though it is a funny, playful, and overall extremely fun song to sing along to (trust me), it is basically telling the audience that nothing matters besides how people view you and how much people like you. The only thing that matters is your popularity. The message behind "Popular" serves its purpose in the musical to really exaggerate the traits of Glinda's character. 

There are many adlibs throughout the song that showcase the bubbly personality of Glinda. Along with this are many pauses and pace changes. There is also a lot of contrast with the parts that she sings and the lines that she talks through. When listening to the song, the beginning is slower and more staccato. As the song plays an upbeat and playful tempo develops. Near the end the pace and tone slow down once again. But then finally, to compliment Glinda's personality, the song ends with a face pace and long note. It is no doubt a very dramatic song!

"Popular" has been my favorite song from a broadway show for the longest time, but there was never a moment in my life where I completely agreed with the message Glinda is trying to get across. There is no doubt that how people see me and how I view others can impact my lifestyle, but the way Glinda obsesses over how people view her is not something I agree with. I am a believer of living life for myself and not others, and if people like who I am and what I am doing that's awesome, and if they do not like it (without good reason, of course) then it is not my problem. But I will gladly sing this song at the top of my lungs. 

This is a live performance of "Popular" from Wicked. As I had stated in my previous blog, Kristin Chenoweth does an amazing job portraying Glinda. Her performance is amazing given she is acting and singing live.

Music is a creative way to tell stories. I personally love broadway musicals, so music that portrays a fictive dream is something that I really like. It is interesting to see how composers and artists use musical elements to truly match a feeling and theme of a song and story.

Sources:

Friends 'for Good' - Wicked: A New Musical and the ... https://cornerstone.lib.mnsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=&httpsredir=1&article=1072&context=ctamj. 

“What Is Wicked Truly about?” Show Score, 1 Oct. 2021, https://www.show-score.com/blog/what-is-wicked-truly-about. 

“Wicked (Musical).” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 13 Nov. 2021, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wicked_%28musical%29#:~:text=Wicked%20%28musical%29%20The%20musical%20is%20told%20from%20the,friends%2C%20Elphaba%20%28the%20Wicked%20Witch%20of%20the%20West%29. 

Role of the Performer - Kristin Chenoweth

    Since I was little, I have always had a love for Wicked, the broadway musical. I was drawn to the performers's voices, specifically Kristin Chenoweth. Her voice is so unique that I began to recognize her in numerous different works. When I saw her become a reoccurring guest star on Glee as April Rhodes, I was so excited (even more than when they sang Defying Gravity). I remember watching Hairspray Live! in 2016 and seeing Kristin Chenoweth sing along other great performers such as Ariana Grande and Maddie Baillio. I have always been a fan of Kristin Chenoweth and I believe that her unique voice and high falsetto voice have become iconic throughout music history.

    Though I know Kristin Chenoweth best from her role as "Glinda" in Wicked, she has been apart of a great amount of broadway and off-broadway shoes, TV episodes, films, and performances. Growing up, she was always interested in performing. She sang gospel songs at church and participated in community plays. During her early adult years, she studied musical theater in her hometown at the Oklahoma City University. She then earned a Masters Degree in Opera Performance at OCU. She went to New York City to support a friend who was auditioning for a broadway role when she ended up auditioning herself and blew the producers away. Since then she has been apart of numerous broadway shows, films, and TV shows. Some of her more famous works include performing as "Sally" from You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown, "Olive Snook" on Pushing Daises, and "April Rhodes" in Glee (these three of her more well-known works have earned her Tony and Emmy Awards). Other works include Steel Pier, Epic Proportions, her own short-lived NBC comedy Kristin, and much more. She has even performed with various symphonies across the world and became the third musical theater performer in history to perform at the NYC's Metropolitan Opera in 2007.

In this video, Kristin Chenoweth covers The Way We Were by Barbra Streisand. Her voice has so much control it gives me goosebumps. She is able to hit the many crescendos and decrescendos with her voice. The tone color she has in her voice is amazing when she emphasizes certain lyrics and knows just when to breathe in-between singing. You can tell by her facials and body language that she loves and was born to perform. 

This is a clip from when Kristin Chenoweth guest starred on Glee as "April Rhodes". Something I love about her is that when she performs, she performs with character. Her character is supposedly a loser, someone who's life is in shambles but is still optimistic. I feel as if she captured this in both her voice and her body language. Her range is incredible in the song along with her iconic high note that she hits at the end. She sings this with Lea Michelle, who is also an amazing performer. 

This is by far my favorite broadway song and scene. Chenoweth's ability to perform and entertain is truly showcased here. This song is Popular from Wicked and Chenoweth's spin on it is what makes me love the song. Her range from singing to adding little adlibs is hilarious. With the lyrics it is sometimes as if she is just talking, but she is actually singing, therefore her ability to hear pitch is very good considering this is live. Though I have seen Wicked live with a different cast, I would do anything to watch Kristen Chenoweth perform this song!

I believe that Kristen Chenoweth's role as a performer is to entertain. Whether she is singing on broadway or performing a cover on a TV show, her voice is so powerful and distinguishable that it brings joy to people when listening. There have been many adaptations and different singers who took on the role of "Glinda" in Wicked, but I still prefer listening the Chenoweth's versions. Though her covers that she performs are works of others, her unique voice adds a new feeling to the music. She has also used her many experiences in performing to mentor others. Chenoweth uses her gift as an amazing performer to entertain others as well as pass down her knowledge to the next generation of performers. 

Sources

“Kristin Chenoweth.” Biography.com, A&E Networks Television, 5 Dec. 2019, https://www.biography.com/actor/kristin-chenoweth. 

“Kristin Chenoweth.” IMDb, IMDb.com, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0155693/bio. 

“Kristin Chenoweth.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 2 Nov. 2021, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kristin_Chenoweth.